Masks play an extremely important role in Native American culture and are used during a large number of cultural ceremonies and can be given as gifts (The American Indian Heritage Foundation). Masks were used in ritual dances which re-enacted adventures of heroic ancestors and different spirits. The rights to these masked dances were passed down through families and were very sacred privileges (The museum of Natural and Cultural History). The Hand crafted out of wood, natural paints, straw, hair, and feathers; these masks are made by shamans or by individuals under the supervision of a shaman (The Museum of Natural and Cultural History). They are typically theriomorphic, or depicting animals, or animal spirits. Although most masks across Native American cultures are theriomorphic, most are unique to a specific tribe. The cause of this may be linked to the belief that each Native tribe descended from a different animal (The American Indian Heritage Foundation).
Types of Masks
There are three types of masks often used in Native culture. The first is a single face mask, and is the most basic. It is a mask worn that depicts only one spirit and is stationary. The second is a moving mask which is built to be animated. They can have blinking eyes or articulate mouths. Lastly, and arguably the most unique, are the transformation masks. These masks have two or more faces and will open to reveal the second face (The American Indian Heritage Foundation) Transformation masks most evidently demonstrate how masks are derived from the idea of magical transformations in Native culture - a physical change required to enter the world of the spirits (Markman).
Shamans
In Native American culture, Shamans act as a bridge between the natural and spiritual worlds. These members of society are representative of a key aspect of Native ideology - everything in the world is driven by a spiritual force and therefor the differentiation between man and animal, organic and inorganic is rendered less relevant (Markman). Because of this inherent link between events in the natural world and causes in the spiritual one, the Shaman's job is to travel to the spirit world to retrieve what is needed for curing disease and solving problems (Markman). Shamans use masks as a transformative tool to aid in these purposes by helping them to interpret what different spirits were communicating, wanting, or needing.